There’s a para in the room.
Another adult is already in the room when you arrive, or comes in with a student partway through. Nobody has told you what the arrangement is or who handles what.
Introduce yourself, say you’re covering today, and ask one question: “What does this period usually look like for you?” Then do what they tell you. They know this room and these students better than you will by the end of the day.
Why this happens
Paraprofessionals are often assigned to a student or a program rather than to a room, so their presence and their responsibilities are invisible in whatever paperwork you were handed. Many have worked with the same students for years. In a co-taught section or a room with a one-on-one aide, the para may be the only adult present who knows a student’s plan, routine, or the way they communicate. Deferring to them isn’t a courtesy. It’s an accurate read of who holds the knowledge that matters today.
Where the line is
- Yours: whole-group instruction and the structure of the period.
- The para’s: their assigned student, and any plan or routine attached to that student. Follow their lead without requiring an explanation.
- Not yours at all: any decision about a student’s plan, accommodations, or removal from the room. If something needs to change, that’s the para’s call or the office’s.
What to do
- Introduce yourself before the bell if you can. Name, and “I’m covering for Mr. Diaz today.”
- Ask what the period usually looks like, who they work with, and where you should be. Some routines depend on predictable positioning.
- Follow their lead on their student, and don’t ask why in front of the student.
- Don’t assign the para tasks — they don’t report to you — and check with them before changing anything structural.
- Thank them by name at the end, and put the name in the note.
Say this
General ed room with a one-on-one aide
“I’m covering today. What does this period usually look like for you and Marcus? I’ll follow your lead.”
Co-taught or inclusion section
“I’m the sub for Ms. Chen today. How do you two usually split the period? I’ll take whichever piece is most useful.”
Resource room or self-contained setting
“I’m covering today, and I’m going to follow your routine — you know these students and I don’t. Tell me where to be.” In these rooms the para is frequently the continuity, and saying this in the first minute changes the whole day.
If that doesn’t work
If a para arrives mid-period, keep teaching. Nod, keep going, catch them at a transition — stopping the lesson puts the room’s attention on their student. And if one assumes you’re running everything and offers nothing, ask directly: “Is there anything about this group I should know before we start?” If you end up disagreeing about a student, have it out of the room and default to their judgment.
In the note
Ms. Okafor ran the routine with Marcus. I followed her lead and the period went smoothly because of it.
From When it’s not yours to solve in The Sub’s Handbook.
Written by a substitute teacher, for substitute teachers. This is what’s worked in real classrooms — not official guidance, and not a substitute for your school’s policies or your district’s training. When something feels beyond you, it probably is: call the office. They’d rather hear from you early than late.
Open subin, the app the handbook comes from. Free to use.
Dan McSpirit is an active guest teacher and the author of The Sub’s Handbook. He built subin for the job he was doing at the time. More of his work is at danmcspirit.com.